Author: Chris Ashby

Britcar boom continues as Silverstone opener gets record entry

Once again the Silverstone International circuit has proved to be popular with competitors in the Dunlop Britcar Endurance Championship, attracting a record entry for the second year running.

But it’s not just the attraction of racing on an iconic circuit, it’s as much as – or more  – to do with the innovative tweaking of the race format and category structure by the Britcar management that has drawn in some serious race machinery, in what looks to be an ultra-competitive season ahead.

Gone are the Sprint and Endurance categories, and gone are the split 50-minute and two-hour races, all competitors are now in the same pair of one-hour races. This reflects the appetite for racing specialised racing machines over a slightly shorter distance, to which Britcar has reacted, whilst broadly retaining the five-class structure, with some adjustments to the top and bottom ends of Classes 1, 2 and 3, ensuring fairer equalisation.

This new format has changed the complexion of the entry somewhat, too. The Ginetta G55s, mainstay of Class 3 over the last few years and a serious overall title contender, are missing, at least from this opening round, and in their place will be a phalanx of Porsches, whilst previously thin-on-the-ground Classes 1 and 2 are now awash with array of 13 Supercars, with BMW,  Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Praga, Saker and Taranis represented.

But it’s not all about the Supercars – the competition is just as intense amongst the lower-powered contingent; indeed last year’s overall champions, Sarah Moore and Matt Greenwood, in a Tockwith Motorsport Ginetta G50, came out of Class 4. Seventeen year-old Matt has moved on for 2019, and this year Sarah will coach and nurture the precocious teenage talent of Moh Ritson.

A raft of hot hatches and Touring Cars make up Classes 4 and 5, many to the internationally recognised Touring car regulations, with the Team Brit Aston Martin being an interloper, enabling the driving and engineering squad of disabled former UK servicemen and women to realise their dream of eventually taking on the Le Mans 24hrs.

So, Britcar has moved with the current flavour of the market, as reflected by the unprecedented 36-car entry for this opening round, and there’s no make-weights here; experienced amateurs complemented by seasoned professionals, all in superbly prepared cars.

This is going to be so competitive, and is promising to be potentially Britcar’s best-ever season.

Alan Gow delighted to present unrivalled 2019 BTCC campaign

British Touring Car Championship Chief Executive Alan Gow has shared his excitement surrounding what lies ahead for the series in 2019, with a capacity entry list topping the headlines leading into the opening round at Brands Hatch.

Once again underlining its status as the UK’s premier motor sport championship, the BTCC will once again stage ten events and 30 races across the length and breadth of the country, with a car 30-car grid primed and ready to duke it out for supremacy.

Whilst the action is set to keep fans captivated on-track, those who can’t make it trackside will benefit from unrivalled television coverage via ITV4, whilst Kwik Fit join the fray as title sponsor.

 “We are delighted to present our full field of drivers, manufacturers, teams and cars for the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, as we head into yet another thrillingly unpredictable campaign in the UK’s biggest and best motorsport series,” Gow said.

“We have a potent line-up of champions, race-winners and emerging young talent, with a wide variety of cars and body styles represented on the grid. The two newest models – the BMW 3 Series and Toyota Corolla – are sure to cause quite a stir, and the commitment demonstrated by those two manufacturers in introducing new cars is testament to the championship’s rude health and enduring appeal.

“That is further endorsed by the confirmation that the BTCC is the only major motorsport series to benefit from extensive live, free-to-air UK coverage in 2019, which means fans unable to follow trackside won’t have to miss a moment of the thrilling doorhandle-to-doorhandle action.

“We have a new title partner in Kwik Fit, who are already looking to maximise their involvement in the greatest show in British motorsport.

“That is just one fascinating thread of what looks sure to be another captivating, drama-fuelled campaign – so whether you are following on television, online or soaking in the smells, sights and sounds at close quarters, strap yourself in and get ready to enjoy the ride.”

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship kicks off the new season at Brands Hatch on April 6/7. For more information, click here.

BTCC launches 2019 season with capacity entry list confirmed

Britain’s biggest motor sport series, the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, is primed and ready for another memorable year with series organiser TOCA announcing a capacity 30-car entry list for 2019 at its Season Launch.

Following on from a record-breaking 60th Anniversary campaign last year, the BTCC is set to scale new heights as the best tin-top drivers in the country battle it out for the most coveted prize in UK motor sport.

Topping the entry this year are five manufacturer-backed teams with a host of Independent entries further adding to the strength-in-depth the championship consistently has year-on-year.

BMW and West Surrey Racing will bid to retain their three titles from last year by introducing the brand new 330i M Sport to the series, with reigning champion Colin Turkington, Tom Oliphant and Andrew Jordan all behind the wheel and hungry for silverware.

After several decades away, Toyota makes a long-awaited return to the championship as a fully-fledged manufacturer entrant by teaming up with Speedworks Motorsport. After narrowly missing out on the crown last year, Speedworks and Tom Ingram will bid to go one better in the all-new Toyota Corolla.

Power Maxed Racing have put their faith in experience this year with Jason Plato and Rob Collard teaming together to spearhead Vauxhall’s championship charge whilst Adrian Flux Subaru Racing retain 2017 champion Ashley Sutton and gained Senna Proctor.

Following a maiden year with the new Honda Civic Type R, Halfords Yuasa Racing are expected to issue an all-out challenge for the title with Matt Neal and Dan Cammish remaining at the championship-winning squad.

Whilst it is set to be all to play for in the manufacturers, championship campaigns are set to come from the Independent ranks too. Tom Chilton and Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher came close to the crown last year and will be keen to better their performance. Motorbase Performance have added Ollie Jackson and Nicolas Hamilton to their ranks too.

A trio of Mercedes Benz A-Class’ will be on-track once more with Aiden Moffat, Adam Morgan and Daniel Rowbottom all bidding for glory. Elsewhere AMD Tuning have continued to develop over the off-season and will aid Trade Price Cars Racing in running Mark Blundell and Jake Hill in the Audi S3’s, whilst also running Sam Tordoff and Rory Butcher in Honda Civic Type Rs.

First-time race winners last year, Chris Smiley, Josh Cook and Matt Simpson will all be eyeing more success too as they hit the track in Honda Civic Type R’s – Smiley and Cook in brand new FK8’s for BTC Racing.

Team HARD meanwhile will run four Volkswagen CC’s once more with Jack Goff joining Bobby Thompson, Michael Crees and Carl Boardley after securing a last-minute deal to remain on the grid.

MG machinery has changed hands over the winter with new team Excelr8 Motorsport taking on the running of the cars. Series newcomers Sam Osborne and Rob Smith will take to the wheel as they bid to find their feet in the series.

Capping off the bumper entry list is Team Parker Racing, who have retained Stephen Jelley for a third successive season as they bid to move further up the grid with their BMW 125i M Sport.

With tweaks to the rules such as success ballast, an unprecedented 18 race winners, five champions and five rookies, as well as much more, the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is set for another vintage year of competition.

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Entry List

Car No. Driver Team Car Team / Driver Status
1 Colin Turkington Team BMW BMW 330i M Sport Manufacturer
3 Tom Chilton Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher Ford Focus RS Independent
4 Sam Osborne Excelr8 Motorsport MG6 Independent / Jack Sears Trophy
6 Rory Butcher Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Honda Civic Type R Independent / Jack Sears Trophy
8 Mark Blundell TradePriceCars.com Audi S3 Independent / Jack Sears Trophy
9 Rob Collard Stirling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra Manufacturer
11 Jason Plato Stirling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra Manufacturer
12 Stephen Jelley Team Parker Racing BMW 125i M Sport Independent
15 Tom Oliphant Team BMW BMW 330i M Sport Manufacturer
16 Aiden Moffat Laser Tools Racing Mercedes Benz A-Class Independent
18 Senna Proctor Adrian Flux Subaru Racing Subaru Levorg Manufacturer
19 Bobby Thompson GKR Scaffolding with Autobrite Direct Volkswagen CC Independent / Jack Sears Trophy
22 Chris Smiley BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R Independent
24 Jake Hill TradePriceCars.com Audi S3 Independent
25 Matt Neal Halfords Yuasa Racing Honda Civic Type R Manufacturer
27 Dan Cammish Halfords Yuasa Racing Honda Civic Type R Manufacturer
28 Nicolas Hamilton ROKiT Racing with Motorbase Ford Focus RS Independent / Jack Sears Trophy
31 Jack Goff RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport Volkswagen CC Independent
32 Daniel Rowbottom Cataclean Racing with Ciceley Motorsport Mercedes Benz A-Class Independent / Jack Sears Trophy
33 Adam Morgan MAC Tools Mercedes Benz A-Class Independent
37 Rob Smith Excelr8 Motorsport MG6 Independent / Jack Sears Trophy
41 Carl Boardley Team HARD. Brisky Racing Volkswagen CC Independent / Jack Sears Trophy
48 Ollie Jackson Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher Ford Focus RS Independent
66 Josh Cook BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R Independent
77 Andrew Jordan BMW Pirtek Racing BMW 330i M Sport Manufacturer
80 Tom Ingram Team Toyota GB with Ginsters Toyota Corolla Manufacturer
116 Ashley Sutton Adrian Flux Subaru Racing Subaru Levorg Manufacturer
303 Matt Simpson Simpson Racing Honda Civic Type R Independent
600 Sam Tordoff Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Honda Civic Type R Independent
777 Michael Crees GKR Scaffolding with Autobrite Direct Volkswagen CC Independent / Jack Sears Trophy

The opening round of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship takes place around the Brands Hatch Indy circuit on April 6/7. For more information, click here.

Blockbuster BARC race day served up at Oulton Park

The British Automobile Racing Club delivered a scintillating race day at Oulton Park this past Saturday (March 23) as four championships kick-started their 2019 campaigns in blockbuster style.

Following a busy off-season which has seen meticulous car preparation from teams and drivers, the picturesque Cheshire venue provided the perfect backdrop to lift the curtain on the new season.

 Home to the next generation of motorsport talent, the Junior Saloon Car Championship provided two pulsating races with a bumper grid of 14 to 17-year-old racers, with the spoils shared between reigning champion Lewis Saunders and 2018 Scholarship winner Scott McIntyre.

Bidding to become the first back-to-back JSCC champion, Saunders ignited his title defence in emphatic fashion as he scored a lights-to-flag victory in the opening round after leapfrogging pole sitter McIntyre. Thomas Ward would also get the better of McIntyre over the course of the race and it would be that order that the top three finished in.

Roles were reversed in race two as McIntyre got the better of Saunders and raced on to take the chequered by little under a second. Ward once again underlined his credentials and consistency by notching another podium finish, albeit this time third place.

The Club’s North West Centre’s flagship series, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship, raced just once during the day but it proved to be an eventful six-lap encounter which culminated in Jon Woolfitt piloting his MK Indy to the chequered flag.

David Harvey and Danny Bird proved to be the closest challengers to Woolfitt in the end however the pair had to settle for second and third respectively.

Garrie Whittaker proved to be in irresistible force in the Kumho BMW Championship too as he romped his way to a brace of victories. Once again behind the wheel of his BMW E36 M3, Whittaker made an emphatic statement in race one, beating Lucky Khera by more than 45 seconds.

Whittaker followed up his first victory with a second one shortly after, this time heading Jason West by a somewhat smaller margin – 26 seconds this time.

Capping off the day’s action at Oulton Park were a raft of races from the Classic Touring Car Championship, each of them mixing classes together.

AJ Owen emerged as the benchmark in the amalgamated Pre 93, Pre 03 and Pre 05 encounters as he scored a pair of wins at the wheel of his Honda Civic Type R. Leading Ross Craig and Graham Myers in race one, Owen made a further statement as one to watch by heading Ian Bower and Craig in the second race.

Mark Osborne and his Triumph Dolomite Sprint were in fine form in the combined Pre 66 and Pre 83 eight-lap races, claiming outright honours in both.

Elsewhere Andrew Wilson and Richard Wood ensured that they left Oulton Park with a win apiece after each triumphing in the day’s two Blue Oval Saloon and Thunder Saloon races.

For the full classification of results from Saturday, click here.

Julian Godfrey dominates BRX season-opener at Silverstone

The Toyo Tires Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship roared into life this past Sunday (March 24) at Silverstone with five-time champion Julian Godfrey setting his stall out as the man to beat, dominating proceedings to take victory.

Having narrowly missed out on capturing a sixth crown to Mark Higgins last year, Godfrey proved to be a tour-de-force behind the wheel of his Spencer Sport-run Mitsubishi Mirage.

With both Ollie O’Donovan and Oliver Bennett both early retirements during the meeting, the baton feel to Irish Rallycross champion Derek Tohill and former title winner Pat Doran to displace Godfrey at the summit of the times.

Taking a clean sweep across all three qualification races, Godfrey’s unstoppable charge continued in the final as he showed his rivals a clean set of heels, ultimately pipping Tohill by more than two seconds – Doran ultimately rounded out the podium.

Behind the top three; Steve Hill, Mike Manning and Steve Mundy capped off the list of finishers to bring a close on a pulsating opening event for the Supercar category.

In the Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Championship, Luke Constantine kicked his 2019 campaign off on the right foot with a clinical performance to take victory ahead of Patrick O’Donovan and Roberts Vitols.

The Motorsport UK Supernational Rallycross Championship had a familiar feel to it as former champion Tristan Ovenden underlined why he is still the man to beat with a flawless drive to take the chequered flag in the final. At the wheel of his Renault Clio V6, Ovenden reigned supreme as he led Jack Thorne and Peter McGarry around the Northamptonshire-based venue.

David Bell, another series veteran, savoured success at Silverstone too as he clinched honours in the BMW MINI Rallycross Championship whilst Dominic Flitney did the same in the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship.

Capping off the list of winners from the opening round of the season was Steve Harris and Brett Harris, who won the OBP Motorsport Retro Rallycross Championship and RX150 Championship respectively.

To view the full results from all classifications, click here.

The Toyo Tires Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship heads to Lydden Hill next for what is set to be a blockbuster bank holiday race day on April 22.

Legends Cars Championship announces full-season TV package

Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres is set to mark a milestone year with unrivalled television coverage, with one-hour shows confirmed for all 14 events.

Produced by Digitex Television and with Richard John Neil on commentary once again, all 42 races will be filmed – providing the definitive story as the season unfolds and thus ensuring that the championship offers the widest ever exposure for teams, drivers and commercial partners.

A key sponsorship partnership with 24hr Solutions will mean that the series will be broadcast in the UK, Europe and America through a variety of platforms including Amazon Prime UK, Amazon Prime USA, Front Runner and BARC TV.

Phil Cooper, Legends Cars owner, said: “We are absolutely elated to have been able to put together such a fantastic package of television and online coverage for the Legends Cars this year, by far the most extensive offering we’ve ever been able to provide, thanks to the partnership with Phil Turner and 24hr Solutions. We’re extremely grateful to 24hr Solutions for their outstanding support.

“Of course, we’re all very much looking forward to working with Barry Welch and his team at Digitex who have done a terrific job for us in recent seasons and, it goes without saying, we’re delighted Richard John Neil will be taking care of commentary duties – what he doesn’t know about Legends isn’t worth knowing!”

Speaking on the Legends Cars TV deal, 24hr Solutions’ Phil Turner said: “As a business owner you always aspire to provide the best service, the best branding, to be the best at all endeavours, so when the opportunity to sponsor such a great TV motor racing deal with Legends presented itself, it was one to snatch quickly! 

“Working with Phil Cooper is always a pleasure, we entered Team 247 last year in support of Help for Heroes, with great support from Phil, and this new sponsorship deal just highlights the family atmosphere of the pitlane in the Legends Cars National Championship.”

An Easter extravaganza on April 21/22 at Brands Hatch will mark the start of the 2019 Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres season. 

Ciceley Motorsport adds reigning JSCC champion to driver development scheme

Race-winning British Touring Car Championship outfit Ciceley Motorsport have set about finding the next generation of motorsport talent by launching a driver development scheme, with reigning Junior Saloon Car Champion Lewis Saunders its first signing.

Becoming a force to be reckoned with in the BTCC with Adam Morgan in recent years, the Lancashire-based squad will help Saunders in all aspects of racing during the forthcoming campaign.

Stepping into the JSCC last year, Saunders was a tour-de-force as he swept the competition away, clinching five victories and a total of 14 podiums – leading him to becoming the youngest ever JSCC champion.

In addition Saunders was also awarded The Peter Collins Trophy, bestowed upon the most successful newcomer, by the British Automobile Racing Club for his performances during 2018.

Commenting on the addition of Saunders, Morgan said: “I am really looking forward to working with Lewis, he is clearly already very talented and an accomplished race car driver, he will be joining me at as many British Touring Car Rounds as he is able to attend and I will begin teaching him how to interpret data, watching how I work with my engineer Marco Calovolo which will be invaluable to Lewis later in his career.

“Lewis smoked them all last year and he drives with a maturity well beyond his years, he starts this year’s campaign as red hot favourite, his car, like ours, has been immaculately prepared by his dad and that’s the same way I started out, they absolutely love their racing.”

Norman Burgess, Ciceley Commercial Director, continued: “Lewis is exactly what we have been looking for rapid, driven, committed, focused and passionate. Adam will help take care of any help he might need on track and my job will be to raise his profile and help to secure sponsorship and further opportunities, it’s been a pleasure to get to know both Lewis and his dad Ralph and he fits into our team dynamic perfectly.

“We at Ciceley Motorsport are on the rev limiter this season with our BTCC, TCR and GT commitments but when the chance of signing Lewis came up, it was too good an opportunity for us to miss, we are as excited about our association with him as we are any of our other projects.”

“I am incredibly grateful to Adam, Norman, Russell and the team at Ciceley Motorsport, for the opportunity they are giving me,” added Saunders. “I will work hard to repay their faith in me.”

Saunders begins the defence of his Junior Saloon Car Championship title at Oulton Park this Saturday (March 23).

British Rallycross Championship revved up for Silverstone curtain-raiser

The Toyo Tires Motorsport UK British Rallycross Championship will roar into life this Sunday (March 24) with Silverstone playing host to what is expected to be an edge of the seats 2019 season-opener.

Providing thrills and spills at almost every turn last year, the championship is aiming to scale new heights as it embarks on another pulsating campaign which will see four venues visited over the course of the year.

Albatec Racing’s Mark Higgins clinched the 2018 title however the reigning champion won’t be on the grid for the opening round. Instead, many eyes will be focused on former champions Ollie O’Donovan and Julian Godfrey, both of whom narrowly missed out on beating Higgins last year.

Bidding to become a six-time champion, Godfrey returns behind the wheel of the Mitsubishi Mirage he campaigned last year, whilst O’Donovan will pilot his striking yellow Ford Fiesta.

Former British champions Pat Doran and Steve Mundy will also line up on the grid at the Northamptonshire venue. Elsewhere many will be keen to see how Irish champion Derek Tohill gets on in his Fiesta.

Rounding out the grid for the opening round of the season in the Supercar category will be Liam and Mike Manning, Steve Hill and World Rallycross competitor Oliver Bennett.

Whilst the Supercar class is set to be the main event, the British Rallycross Championship once again has a feast of supporting categories too, including the Motorsport UK Supernational Championship and Motorsport UK Junior Rallycross Championship.

Notable names to look out for across both championships include Paul Coney, Tristan Ovenden, Paige Bellerby, and the Constantine brothers, James and Luke.

Elsewhere the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship, BMW Mini Rallycross Championship, Retro Rallycross Championship and RX150 Championship will all be in action too.

To ensure you don’t miss a second of the action this weekend, head to the official event page here.

Oulton Park primed to welcome four BARC championships

The British Automobile Racing Club will head to Cheshire this Saturday (March 23) with four championships kick-starting their 2019 campaigns around the infamous Oulton Park International layout.

Serving as the traditional starting point for the Club’s North West Centre, who organise and run the race meeting, Oulton Park has become renowned down the years for producing exhilarating action whenever the BARC is in town.

That theme looks likely to continue as months of preparation and anticipation comes to fruition for the Junior Saloon Car Championship, Classic Touring Car Championship, CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship and Kumho BMW Championship.

Providing a clear path into motorsport for drivers aged 14 to 17, the Junior Saloon Car Championship has become a force to be reckoned with in recent years, with 2019 set to arguably be one of the strongest yet for the single-make series.

Reigning champion Lewis Saunders enters the year as the teenager to beat as he bids to become the first JSCC racer to score back-to-back titles. The challenges however will come from all angles with Ben Kasperczak and Scott McIntyre leading the list of returning drivers.

The day’s two races will also feature a host of new faces, all of whom will be making their first foray into car racing. Of those on the entry list, recent Scholarship winner Harry Rice will one many will be keeping a keen eye on.

Fans of saloon cars from yesteryear will be well catered for as the Classic Touring Car Championship also kicks off their campaign with a raft of races. Once again providing a variety of different classes, all of which span different decades, the series will hit the track for six races over the course of the day, with edge-of-the-seat thrills predicted in each.

Notable names to keep an eye include the long list of 2018 champions such as Stephen Primett, Steve Barden and Piers Grange, all of whom were in fine form when the championship last took to the track.

The BARC North West Centre’s flagship series, the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Car Championship will also hit the track over the course of the day as they lift the curtain on their 2019 campaign. A popular fixture on the calendar for the championship, this weekend marks the first of three visits to Oulton Park

Open to a whole host of cars, variety really is the spice of life when it comes to the CNC Heads and it is a championship that was dominated by Paul Rose last year. With Rose having moved onto pastures new for this season, the door is open for a new driver to step under the spotlight, with James Cryer and Richard Wood just two season veterans to look out for.

Capping off the action will be a pair of races from the Kumho BMW Championship. Showcasing the very best machines built by the German manufacturer, the series will add another chapter with its illustrious history this year as it continues to go from strength to strength.

With a blend of returning and new faces set to line up on the grid, picking not only an outright race winner but also class winners has never been more difficult.

For more information on this Saturday’s Oulton Park event, head to the official race meeting page here.

C1 Racing Series kicks off 2019 season with a splash at Croft

The British Automobile Racing Club’s kicked off its 2019 motorsport season with a splash this past weekend as the Distrigo Parts Distribution C1 Racing Series starred at Croft Circuit.

After months of preparation and anticipation, exhilarating wheel-to-wheel action finally returned with two frenetic two-hour encounters taking place around what turned out to be a rain-hit North Yorkshire venue.

Serving as an ample opportunity to clock mileage before the C1 Racing Series’ 24-hour race around the Grand Prix layout of Silverstone in late April, a bumper grid of 33 cars duked it out for supremacy.

With rain battering the circuit throughout the day, qualifying threw up a pulsating affair as the Amigo Motorsport squad stormed to pole position. Made up of Rhys Lloyd and Matthew Dawson, the Amigo trio set a best time of 2:04.768 to pip Kraken Motorsport to top spot by just 0.015.

Despite starting on the front row Amigo Motorsport were unable to convert their pole position start into victory as McAttack Racing took the spoils. With Simon Walker-Hansell leading the charge in their C1 machine, McAttack hit the front within the first hour of the race and didn’t look back from there onwards.

Completing a total of 69 laps, the McAttack outfit crossed the line 1:43.915 ahead of their nearest challengers Team Merlin International, whilst also lapping up to fifth place at least once. Rounding out the top three was pole sitters Amigo Motorsport.

Riding high off the success from earlier in the day, McAttack Racing were unable to make it back-to-back victories as Amigo Motorsport struck back to earn an impressive win.

Guiding their C1 to a total of 81 laps ahead of Team Merlin International, the Amigo team proved to be in a league of their own as they put a lap on everyone but their nearest challengers.

With the 2019 season now underway, the Distrigo Parts Distribution C1 Racing Series heads to the home of British motorsport, Silverstone, on April 26/27/28.

To view the full classification of results from Croft, click here.

UK Sports Prototype Cup introduces new class at selected rounds

The UK Sports Prototype Cup has confirmed that it will introduce a new ‘Sports Prototype Open’ class at selected rounds of its inaugural season in 2019.

Launching with the aim of providing a multi-marque racing environment for lightweight sports prototype, the category will already play host to the BARC Radical SR3 Trophy and Revolution Race Series this year.

The Sports Prototype Open class will provide an opportunity for a diverse range of lightweight sports cars to compete in additional longer distance races alongside their own official championship commitments.

Cars as diverse as Sports 2000, Sports 1000, Clubmans, Kitcars, Caterham Sevens and the Radical SR1 will all be eligible to compete.

“Since announcing the Cup, we have had many enquiries from owners of other sports cars who are interested in our generous track time,” said Championship Promoter James Bailey. “We expect over 15 cars to compete in the first year of the main Cup, but on the longer circuits we have the ability to accommodate additional cars.

“There are some championships that don’t get the opportunity to race on the longest versions of these circuits, particularly the Silverstone Grand Prix layout. The Sports Prototype Open also provides racers with the chance to experience an endurance race format on four great circuits in addition to competing in their main championship.”

The class will feature at Silverstone in late April before then tackling Donington Park, Snetterton and Oulton Park.

For more information on the BARC’s newest championship to hit the track this year as well as entry forms, head to https://www.sportsprototypecup.com/open-class.

Vital Equipment to fuel Legends Anniversary season

The Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres has confirmed that racing fuel specialist Vital Equipment have been named as the brand new supplier for the forthcoming 2019 season.

In what is a milestone year for the series as it celebrates its 25th Anniversary, the championship has further strengthened its position within the UK motorsport landscape with this deal.

With more than a decades worth of experience in the safe and efficient supply of racing fuels, Vital Equipment will provide all teams and competitors with Careless Hiperflo fuel for the entirety of the coming campaign.

Vital Equipment Managing Director, Alistair Roberts, said: “We are delighted to be adding the highly successful and popular Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres to the growing list of motorsport championships we are working with. We look forward to meeting all the Legends teams and supporting them throughout the season.”

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Vital Equipment ahead of our 25th anniversary season and very much looking forward to working together through, what will certainly be, another outstanding season for the championship,” added Legends Cars owner Phil Cooper. 

“Vital has a lot of experience, within the UK and around the world, with the supply of racing fuel and it’s very important for Legends Cars competitors to be able to benefit from such a service. We always strive for the most level playing field we can, and the deal with Vital is a key part of that.” 

The opening round of the 2019 Legends Cars National Championship with MRF Tyres season gets underway at Brands Hatch over the Easter weekend on April 21/22, with six pulsating encounters scheduled to take place around the Indy circuit.